Perforated strip feed mechanism



June 28, 1932. I s, HOWELL 1,865,107

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE SM Filed Dec. 14, 19 28 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 28, 1932.

Filed Dec. 14, 1928 A. S. HOWELL PERFORATED STRIP FEED MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 28, 1932. A s, HOWELL 1,865,107

PERFORATED STRIP FEED MECHANISM Filed Dec. 14, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I I I l 23; 1 1 22 36 l |l- 27 Elk)- d/fiarz 6 flaw/Z mama 1....1932

PATENT OFFICE m! 8. xowm, OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB "1'0 m BELL & HOWELL O0 rm, OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0] W018 rmuonam s'nur rm Applloaflon fled December 14, 1988. Serial Io. 8 80.015.

My invention relates articularly to motion icture machines a though not limited tothis'use alone. I

One of the objects of my invention resides in the provision of means for conveniently andaccurately determinin the usual compensating loops of a r orated strip between an intermittent eed guide and constant feed means feeding the strip to and from the guide, all with a view toward ease, speed and accuracy in the lacing of the strip on the feed mechanisms.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an apertured strip feed glide which provides adequate edgewise iction on the strip therein without tending to buckle the strip transversely.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination and a angement of parts by which the said objects a d certain other objects, hereinafter appearing, are effected, all as fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings and more paru ticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a motion picture projecting machine embodying my iiivention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged partial side elevation of the same showing parts in different positions and having a part broken away and shown in section;

Figure 3 is a partial sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 6, hereinafter described;

Figure 4 is a partial section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

of a perforated motion picture film strip,

showing the form it takes in the intermittent] feed exposure aperture guide of my inven tion Figure 6 is an enlarged partial front view Figure 5 is a perspectlve view of a portion of the machine with parts removed, broken Referrin to the drawin 1 desi ates the body 0 the machine-w ich is inc usive of a forward frame 2 disposed in a vertical rearwardly and forwardly extending plane. S l1dably mounted, as designated at 3 on one 5 side of the frame 2 for rearward and forward 4 movement is a lens mount member 4 which is inclusive of a forwardly disposed rearwardlyand forwardly extending bored portron 5 in which a rojection lens 6 is adustably mounted. ee Figures 1, 2, 3 and 6.

Disposed at the rear of the lens mount member 4 is an apertured intermittent feed 2 1 film guide consisting of the following. See

Figures 2, 3 and 4. A rear face uide member 7 1s secured on the body of t e machine, and a front face guide member 8 is secured on the rear end of the lens mount member 4 for facewise movement therewith into and out of film retaining relation with the face 1 guide member 7.

The intermediate portions of the face guide members 7 and 8 are apertured, as designated at 9, in alinement with the lens 6 for cooperation of a film in the guide with this lens 7 in the projection of pictures from the film, this intermediate portionof the guide being straight in order that the film at the aperture maintained flat.

'The portions of the guide ad'oining the g straight apertured portion thereo are curved longitudinally of the guide and forwardly of the plane of the apertured portion of the guide, as desi ated at 1 1, in order that the portions of a at these portions be curved as longitudinally thereof in order to strengthen the film at these points against edgewise pressure.

Fi re 5 illustrates the form which a film 12 ta es in the guide, the straight portion 0 {90 the film at the straight apertured portion 0 J the ide being designated at 13 and the longitudinally curved portion of the film at the curved portions of the guide being designated at 14. I

' Disposed at the curved portions 11 of the guide are pairs of edge guide members 15 which have a tensioned engagement with oppositeedges of the film in the guide, these members 15 being carried on the lens mount 1 member 4 for forward and rearward movement therewith together with the front face ide member 8 for the lacing and unlacing of the film in the guide. See Figures 2, 3 and 4. r It .will be observed that, by reason of the fact that the film islon 'tudinally curved at the points where the-e ge guide members 15 engage the same, adequate edgewise pressure may be exerted on the film without the film tending to buckle transversely.

Sliding movement of the lens mount member 4 is controlled by a forwardly disposed manually 0 rated lever 16 pivotally mounted' on the rame 2, as designated at 17, and provided with a crank pin 18 slidably engaging a vertical slot 19 on the lens mount member, the arrangement bein such that the pin is substantially on cra center, as shown in Figure 3, when the lens mount member is in its rearward or closed guide.

position to lock the same in this osition.

A pair of revoluble transverse y dis d horizontal shafts 21 are carried on the rame 2, and are disposed respectively above and means including a shaft 24 and gearing 25.-

See Figure 6.

Mounted on the frame 2 and disposed respectively above and below the lens mount member 4 is a pair of studs 26, which are disposed in parallelism with the sprockets 22 and forwardly adjacent the ends of the intermittent feed guide. See Figures 1, 2, 3, and 7.

Pivotally mounted on respective of the studs 26 is a pair of film retaining devices, each of which is inclusive of a pair of spaced retaining arms 27 which project forwardly from their studs between the lens mount member 4 and the adjacent sprocket 22 and have their forward ends formed, as designated at 28, to retain a film engaged on the adjacent sprocket.

These retaining devices are angularly movable into and out of retaining relation with the sprockets 22, and the forward portions of the arms 27 are slidably engaged inslot formations 29 on the lens mount member 4. Transverse studs 31 extend across the slot formations 29 and engage cam formations 32 formed on the arms 27 to-move the arms 27 into film retaining position with rearward feed guide closing movement of the lens serving to close the feed shown in Figures 1 and 3, an

other ends to move t e same into the arms 27 out of film retaining position with forward feed guide opening movement of the lens mount member, spring means, hereinafter described, serving to move the arms 27' out of film retaining position.

Thus are the opening and closing of the feed guide and the movement of the re arms 27 into and out of film retaining relation with the sprockets 22 controlled together, movement of the lever 16 into one position guide and position the arms 27 in film retainindg position, as h 1 ts movement 2: t is ever to i o posite. position servi o n the feed guide and to position the ii rms out of film retaining position,.as shown in Figure 2. v

A pair of loop determining members 83 of U-shape are pivotally mounted by means mount member and to permit movement of of the legs thereof upon respective of the studs 26, the transversel dispoud intermediate portions 34 thereof ing curved in cross section for enga ement with a film between the front face guide member 8 and respective of the sprockets 22 for determining the compensating loops of the film between the sprockets and the intermittent feed guide.

These members are an larly movable into and out of loop determining position, studs 35 on the frame 2 limiting movement of these members in their loop determining position, as shown in Figure 2,- and these members being movable orwardly out of this p0si-- tion and out of engagement with the film, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

Torsion springs 36 are engaged on the studs 26 and engage adjacent arms 27 with ends thereof to move the arms 27 out of film retaining position and engage adjacent legs of the loop determinin members 33 with their determining position against the stop stu s 35.

The legs of the loop determining members 33 are rovided with lugs 37 which are engaged y abutments 38 on the lens mount member 4 to move the members 33 out of loop determining position with rearward guide closing movement of the lens mount member. See Flgures 1 and 3.

, Thus, the lever 16 not only controlsthe opening and closing of the feed guide andthe movement of the arms .27 into and out of film retaining osition, but also controls the movement of the loop determining members 33 into and out of loop determining position.

Specifically, movement of the lever 16 into its upper position, as shown in Figure 4, positions both the arms 27 and the front face guidemember 8 out of film retaining position, for the lacing of the film, and also positions the members 33 in loop determining position for determining the compensating oops in the lacing of-the film. Movement of the lever 16 into its lower position, as

Ill

shown in Figures 1 and 3, positions both the arms 27 and the front face guide member 8 in a film retaining osition for the o ration of the machine, an also positions e members 33 out of loop determining osit-ion and disengaged from the film, for t e o ration 3f the machine to project pictures rom the Thus is provided simple and effective means for o erating the arms 27 with the face guide mem r 8 and lens mount member 4, as well as for operatin the members 33 with the arms 27, face gui e member 8, and the lens mount member 4', the control thereof being by means of the single manually operated lever 16.

In the lacing of the film the mechanism is positioned as shown in Fi ure 2, before described, after which the fi m is trained about the front face guide member 8, with the guide members 15 edgpwise engaging the film thereat,and about t e members 33 and on the sprockets 22, as designated by the dot and dash line 39 in this figure, the teeth of the sprockets being engaged in perforations of the film so that the portion of the film between the sprockets and engaging the members 8 and 33 is taut.

Following this the lever 16 is moved to its lower position whereupon the arms 27 and the guide member 8 are moved to film retaining position and the members 33 are moved out of loop determining-position with the film 5 engaged on the sprockets and in the feed guide and with loops 41, see Fi re 1,

of proper size between the feed gui e and sprockets, the edge guide members 15 holding the film at the guide member 8 so that the loops of the film cannot change their length by the film shifting longitudinally at the guide member 8.

Unlacing of the film is efiected by positioning the mechanism as shown in Figure 2 and removing the film.

Thus the compensating loops of the film are accurately determined without necessitating calculation, and it is to be further noted that the perforations of the film in the feed guide are positioned properly for engagement with the film engaging member of the intermittent feed mechanism, not shown, and that the film is properly positioned longitudinally with respect to the aperture 9 of the guide.

The film 5 is fed to and from the sprockets 22 from usual revoluble reels 42 carried on the machine, one of which is driven in a usual manner to take up or rewind the film fed thereto.

While I have describedand shown the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following:

1. In a perforated strip feed mechanism the combination with an intermittent feed ide, a constant feed sprocket associated t erewith and a slidably mounted lens mount member carr ing; a strip face guide member of said gui e or facewise movement into and out of strip retaining position, of astud disposed in parallelism with said sprocket, a retain ng member pivotally m ounted on said stud for movement into and out of strip retaining posit-ion with res ct to said sprocket, a loop determining mem er pivotally mounted on said stud for movement into and out of position to determine a compensating strip loop between said guide and sprocket and movable into its said position in the same angular direction as that withwhich said retaining member moves into retaining position, a stop limiting movement of said loop determining member in its said ition, a torsional spring engaged on sai stud and operating on said loop determining member with one end to move t e same into its said position and operating on said retaining member with its other end to move the same out of its said osition, means whereby movement of said lens mount member into face guide member retaining position effects movement of said loop determining member out of its said position, and means whereby this movement of said lens mount member efl'ects movement of said retaining member into retainin position.

2. In a per orated strip feed mechanism the combination with an intermittent feed guide, a slidably mounted lens mount member carrying a strip face guide member of said guide for facewise movement into and out of strip retaining position, and a pair of constant feed sprocket means for feeding a strip to and from respective ends of said guide including I retaining means movable into and out of retaining position, of a pair of loop determining members movable into and out of predetermined positions to determine compensating strip loops between said guide and said sprocket means, means whereby said retaining means is positioned in and out of its said position respectively with movements of said lens mount member into and out of face guide member retaining position, and means whereby said loop determining members are positioned in and out of their said position respec tively with movement of said lens mount member out of and into face guide member retaining position.

3. In a perforated strip feed mechanism the combination with an intermittent feed guide, a slidably mounted lens mount member carrying a strip face guide member of said guide for facewise movement into and out of strip retaining position, a pair of constant feed sprockets for feeding a strip to and member, an

' with and a sli -.from' respective ends of said guide and disposed on op osite sides of said lens mount a air of retaining members movable into an out of retaining position with respect to said- 5 rockets, of a pair of loop determining mem rs movable into and out of predetermined positions to determine compensating strip loops between said guide and sprockets, means whereby said retaining members are positioned in and out of their retaining position respectively with movement of said lens mount member into and out of face guide member retaining posi-' tion, and means whereby said loop determin .ing members are positioned 'in and out of their said'position respectively with movement ofsaid lens mount member out of and into face guide member retaining position, said feed guide bein inclusive of edge guide members carried wit maintain said strip loops as saiddeterminingmem rs.

4. In a perforated stri feed mechanism the combination'with a fee sprocket, an intermittent feed ide in'feeding relation therea bly mounted lens mount member carrying a stri face ide member 'of said guide mto an out o strip retaining position, of a retaining member pivotally mounted for movement into and out of retaining position with respect to said sprocket, and cam means for effecting movement of said retaining member into and out of retainin position respectively with movement of sai lens mount'member into and out of face guide member retaining position.

5. In a perforated strip feed mechanism the combination with an intermittent feed guide, a slidably mounted lens mount member carrying a strip face guidemembe-r of said guide for facewise movement into and out of strip retaining position, a pair of constant feed sprockets for feeding a strip to and from respective ends of said guide and disposed on opposite sides of said lens mount member, of a pair of retaining members pivotally mounted on opposite sides of said lens mount member corresponding with said sprockets for movement into and out of retaining position with respect to adjacent sprockets, springs yieldably urging each of said retaimng members in one direction, and cam devices opposing said spring means for effecting movement of said retaining members into and out of their said position respectively with movement of said lens mount member into and out of face guide member retaining position.

In witness whereof I hereunto aflix my signature this llth day of December. 1928.

ALBERT S. HOWELL.

said lens mount memher and frictionally engaging the strip to etermin by 

